A
remote place like Eastern Arunachal Pradesh (Mishmi Hills) has been
mainly visited by foreigners, and is organized by only few tour
operators, basically due to the excessive cost and extreme planning
involved ...... however,Nature Indiahas now made Mishmi Hills visit possible for many with a Great Budgettrip without compromising the quality :-)

Mishmi Hills – The World’s Bio-diversity Hotspot

The
Land of Rising Sun is how Arunachal Pradesh is often referred as;
however, very few have ever ventured this mystic place to explore it’s
un-paralled Bio-diversity. Arunachal Pradesh lies in the extreme
North-east of India and is characterized with undulating mountains with
the mighty Brahmaputra cutting across and giving birth to such pristine
bio-diversity that it is considered as the 3rd most bio-diverse regions
in the World.

The
Mishmi Hills is a southward extension of the Great Himalayan Mountain
Range - its northern and eastern reaches touching China. Much of the
Mishmi Hills falls under the Dibang Valley district of Arunachal
Pradesh. The Dibang Valley district is named after the Dibang River -
one of the key tributaries of the Brahmaputra River. The Dibang
originates in China and flows through the length of the valley in a
north-south direction. The Dibang Valley district is divided into Lower
and Upper Dibang Valley. The headquarters of the two districts are Roing
and Anini respectively. Mishmi Hills is situated in the Eastern
Himalayan province, the richest bio-geographical province of the
Himalayan zone and one of the Mega bio-diversity hotspots of the world.
The complex hill system of varying elevations receives heavy rainfall,
which can be as much as 4,500-5,000mm annually in the foothill areas.
The humidity in the rainy season is often over 90%. This diversity of
topographical and climatic conditions has favored the growth of
luxuriant forests which are home to myriad plant and animal form.
Various plants species, species of mammals, birds, orchids, insects and
butterflies can be found in this forest. Over 100 species of mammals,
600 species of birds, a large number of butterflies and insects can be
found in these forests.

The
vegetation here can be classified into the following forest types:
Tropical Evergreen, Tropical Semi-evergreen, Sub-Tropical Broad Leaved,
Sub-Tropical Pine, Temperate Broad Leaved, Temperate Conifer, Sub-Alpine
Woody Shrub, Alpine Meadow, Degraded, Bamboo, and Grasslands. The
altitude varies from just 150 mts @ Dibang River to around 3000 mts @
Myodia Pass thus offering a wide range of habitats. Such an amazing
occurrence of life forms can be attributed to the location which is at
the junction of the Paleoarctic, Indo-Chinese, and Indo-Malayan
bio-geographic regions, Biotic elements from all these regions occur in
this area making it very rich in floral and faunal resources.

The
Mishmi Hills is home to some of the rarest endemics and sought after
birds of the Indian subcontinent. Mishmi Hills was the place where
Julian Donahue and Ben King had ‘re-found’ the enigmatic Rusty-throated
Wren Babbler (now re-christened the Mishmi Wren Babbler) in 2004. This
bird was known to the world from only a single skin of a female that
landed in the mist-nets of Dr’s Salim Ali and Dillon Ripley during their
survey of the area in the late forties. It lay hidden from the
ornithologists’ eyes till the venerable duo lured it by playing the tape
of similar species and managed to photograph it and also record its
song.

Mammals:There is great mammal diversity in the area.
Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Snow Leopard, Golden Cat, Jungle Cat,
Marbled Cat and the Leopard Cat represent just the cat family. The
endangered Red Panda is found in the northern reaches and the Hoolock
Gibbon is abundant. One of the most unusual ungulates found here is the
Mishmi Takin. This animal occurs here in small herds at elevations.
Other important mammals include Musk Deer, and the Himalayan Black Bear.

Mithun:The
Mithun is a bovine of Indian origin. It is considered to be a
descendent of wild gaur. This animal has religious significance and is
intimately related to the socio-cultural life of the Mishmi people. The
Mithun is considered to be a source of personal prestige with an
economic value far in excess of the material contribution. Mithuns are
unit of wealth and are allowed to move freely in jungle till used for
food on festive occasions or for barter.

Birds:
More than 500 species are recorded here that includes birds like Purple
and Green Cochoa, Violet and Emerald Cuckoos not to mention Satyr
Tragopan and Blood Pheasant. Also Gould’s Shortwing, White-hooded
Babbler, Pale-headed Woodpecker and Pale-capped Pigeons, Several species
of Laughingthrush, Babblers, Flycatchers, Yuhinas, Minla, Liochichla,
Ward’s & Red-headed Trogon, Sunbirds, Sibia, Hornbills, Forktails,
Rosefinches, Warblers, Scimmitar Babblers, Parrotbills, Woodpeckers,
Tree-creepers, Nuthatch, Drongos, Accentors, Thrushes etc..... you may
usually encounter “Bird Waves” and massive “Mixed hunting Parties” in
this part of the world, where in hundreds of birds of different species
move together scanning the forests.

We
will be exploring this region starting from the plains of Assam near
Maguri Bheel, then the foothills of Mishmi near Roing, 12 (bara) Kilo,
Tiwari Goan and Myodia Pass (@ 2700 mts)..... each of this altitude
promises different species composition according to the season.... a
brief glimpse of the places that we are going to explore.

Maguri Bheel (Dibru Saikhowa National Park)

Our
birding trip starts here. Maguri Beel of Tinsukia District is a wetland
complex which is a part of the Dibru Saikhowa Important Bird Area but
located just outside the Dibru Saikhowa National Park and Biosphere
Reserve. ‘Beel’ is the local name for a lake with marshy areas at the
edges. Maguri Beel is located in the south bank of the Dibru River,
which is a channel of the mighty Brahmaputra River. The Dibru Saikhowa
National Park is located in the northern bank of the Dibru River. This
area is very rich in biodiversity and is important for conservation of
waterfowl and grassland birds....some birds that can be encountered here
include Striated Grassbird, Bar-headed Goose, Wagtails, Northern
Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Wigeon, Garganey, Gadwall, Mallard, Northern
Lapwing, Grey-headed Lapwing, Jacanas, Pied Harrier, Several species of
waders and such rare species like Jerdon’s & Marsh Babbler,
Jerdon’s Bushchat, Spotted Bush Warbler, Baikal Teal and Falcated Duck,
Chestnut-capped Babbler, Swamp Francolin etc ......we shall spend just a
morning birding session here on our way to Mishmi Hills.

Roing Town & 12 Kilo (approx. 300m to 800m): The
Roing area is the 1st stop in a Mishmi Hills bird tour. Roing is
located in the foothills and the altitude stretches from 200m to 500m.
The Mishmi Hills rise around the Dibang River Basin and the Roing area
is a mix of extensive floodplains and outer Himalayan foothills. Birding
here is good from the 12th mile or popularly called as “Bara Kilo (on
the road to Mayodia) all the way downhill to the Itapani River. The
hbitat here is Dense tropical evergreen, tropical semi-evergreen,
sub-tropical broad leaved forests and a swath of semi-evergreen forests
along the upper Brahmaputra River plains.

Mayodia Pass: At
almost 2700m, Mayodia Pass is often covered in snow even in March. The
terrain is rocky and the vegetation is dominated by ringal bamboo
habitat. Some fantastic high-altitude birds can be encountered here
birds like Himalayan Monal, Sclaters Monal and Blyth’s Tragopan.
Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, Ward's Trogon, Grey-sided, Spotted and
Black-faced Laughingthrushes, Gould's and Rusty-bellied Shortwing,
Fire-tailed Myzornis, Dark-rumped Rosefinch, Maroon Accenter,
Plain-backed Thrush, Brown-throated and Manipur Fulvetta etc. There is
no other stay facility here except the very basic “Coffee House” that
was build by the colonial settlers long back. The climate here can
change rapidly due to the presence of other high altitude mountains in
the surrounding area that influence the weather. The road further
traverses to the town of Hunli, which are the headquarters of the
district.

More details on the itinerary will be given to those who register.....______________________________________________________________

Trip charges : (Dibrugarh to Dibrugarh only)…. Rs. 42500/- OnlyIncludes Stay in BASIC rooms on triple sharing basis at Eco camp in Roing, Stay on twin sharing basis at an Eco Resort near Maguri Bheel (Basic stay with electricity and running water available)and triple
sharing in Coffee House at Mayudia Pass (Basic stay without electricity
and running water), Local transport by Non-AC Jeeps (Sumo or Qualis),
Park entry charges, Local Expert charges, vegetarian food, Entry permits
for Arunachal Pradesh, Generator for Camera battery charging @Coffee house, Articles on Mishmi Hills & Maguri Beel and
bird checklist & snacks ……Individuals will have to pay
additional entry charges IF there is any increase in charges by forest
dept. as per the rules. And Camera charges if any.Please note: Since
this is a remote location, the facilities are basic at Mishmi Hills.
However the stay is very clean and food is very good.No. of Pax: 8 pax (approx.)

_____________________________________________________________PS: Unfortunately, if the flight from Mumbai to Dibrugarh & back is cancelled due to bad weather or for any other reasons, NatureIndia will not to be responsible for making stay arrangements. Although, NatureIndia will assist for hotel bookings._____________________________________________________________Registration: You
can register by sending a confirmatory mail to
natureindiatours@gmail.com and by paying a non refundable Advance of
Rs.15000/- immediately after getting a registration mail from us.....
(The seats will only be confirmed after receiving the advance amount)
…..the remaining amount can be given by 15th Dec, 2016.......Please
Register at the earliest as only 8 seats are available.

______________________________________________________________Payment terms:Phase
1 - Rs. 15000/- as non-refundable Advance to be paid immediately, to
confirm the participation. We need to forward this as an advance for
logistics & to block our seats.

___________________________________________________________Please Note:1) Once registered, the advance amount of Rs. 15000/- (Phase 1) is strictly non-refundable2) Alcohol & Smoking is strictly prohibited on NatureIndia Tours3) This is primarily a Bird-watching / Photography trip4) Weather conditions: Weather in North-East is unpredictable and NatureIndia will not be responsible for any days lost due to bad weather.5) Kindly register on this trip only if you agree with NatureIndia's rules and policies http://natureindiapolicies.blogspot.in/2012/08/nature-india-policies.html